Skip to Content

Marvin G. Weinbaum

Senior Fellow

Marvin Weinbaum

Marvin G. Weinbaum is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), specializing in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. He is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he directed the university’s Program in South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for 15 years.

Dr. Weinbaum’s research and teaching have centered on national security, state building, democratization, and political economy in South Asia. He is the author or editor of six books and has contributed over 100 scholarly journal articles and book chapters on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and broader regional issues.

From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Weinbaum served as an analyst for Pakistan and Afghanistan in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He has also held Fulbright research fellowships in Egypt (1981–82) and Afghanistan (1989–90), and served as a senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in 1996–97. Over the course of his career, Dr. Weinbaum has received research awards from the Social Science Research Council, the Ford Foundation, the American Political Science Association, and other major funding institutions.

He holds a PhD from Columbia University, an MA from the University of Michigan, and a BA from Brooklyn College.

The Latest from Marvin G. Weinbaum

Filter by
288 Results
Middle East Focus | September 1, 2017
Middle East Institute
  • Analysis
  • Middle East Focus | September 1, 2017

    MEI experts Paul Salem, Will Wechsler, Marvin Weinbaum, and Ahmad Majidyar discuss current issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and U.S. policy and strategic interests in the region.

    September 1, 2017

    New Saudi Outreach with Iraqi Shiite Leaders | Monday Briefing
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis
  • New Saudi Outreach with Iraqi Shiite Leaders | Monday Briefing

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Randa Slim, Paul Salem, and Marvin G. Weinbaum analyze new Saudi diplomatic engagement with Iraq, the escalating G.C.C. crisis, and the continuation of dynastic politics in Pakistan.

    Saudi Reaches out to Iraqi Shiite Leaders
    Randa Slim, Director of the Initiative for Track II Dialogues

    July 31, 2017

    Mosul Turning Ugly, Raqqa Front Slows | Monday Briefing
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis
  • Mosul Turning Ugly, Raqqa Front Slows | Monday Briefing

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, Marvin G. Weinbaum, Yousef Munayyer, and Alex Vatanka provide analysis on recent events including the battle for Mosul, corruption in Pakistan, Mahmoud Abbas’s trip to China, and Rouhani’s difficult second presidential term.

    Mosul Turning Ugly, Raqqa Front Slows
    Charles Lister, Resident Fellow

    Monday Briefing: Eastern Syria a Hotbed of Geopolitical Interests
  • Analysis
  • Monday Briefing: Eastern Syria a Hotbed of Geopolitical Interests

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, Alex Vatanka, Marvin G. Weinbaum, and Gerald Feierstein provide analysis on eastern Syria as a new hotbed of geopolitical competition, Iranian responses to the Islamic State attack, additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and renewed Saudi succession speculation.

    Monday Briefing: Chances for MidEast Peace Remote under Trump
  • Analysis
  • Monday Briefing: Chances for MidEast Peace Remote under Trump

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Yousef Munayyer, Alex Vatanka, Jonathan M. Winer, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including President Trump’s trip to Israel and the prospects for a peace process, the reelection of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russia’s planned naval drill off the coast of Libya this week, and the Afghan Taliban’s decision to reject peace talks.

    Erdogan-Putin to meet in Sochi | Monday Briefing
  • Analysis
  • Erdogan-Putin to meet in Sochi | Monday Briefing

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Gonul Tol, Randa Slim, Alex Vatanka, Marvin G. Weinbaum, and Mabrouka M’Barek provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Turkish President Erdogan’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Putin, the upcoming speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Nasrallah, the suprising popularity of Rouhani’s VP in the Iranian Presidential Race, the Taliban’s new Spring offensive, and protests in Tunisia over a government proposal to give amnesty to the country’s corrupt financial elite.

    Turkey's Erdogan Gets His Presidential Wish | Monday Briefing
  • Analysis
  • Turkey's Erdogan Gets His Presidential Wish | Monday Briefing

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Gonul Tol, Gerald Feierstein, Alex Vatanka, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the victory of Turkish President Erdogan’s “Yes” constitutional referendum campaign to increase his powers, Secretary of Defense Mattis’ trip to the Middle East, the entry of 1,600 candidates for the upcoming Iranian presidential elections, and the alarming violence in Pakistan against accused “blasphemers”.

    Monday Briefing: Trump’s Executive Orders Don’t Reveal a Coherent Strategy
  • Analysis
  • Monday Briefing: Trump’s Executive Orders Don’t Reveal a Coherent Strategy

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Paul Scham, Randa Slim, W. Robert Pearson, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the Trump administration’s apparent lack of a coherent strategy in the implementation of executive orders, the possibility of an improved relationship between Israel and the UK in the wake of Brexit, the Astana meeting to discuss the Syrian cease-fire deal, bilateral efforts to improve Turkish-Israel relations, and the uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Pakistani relations under the Trump administration.

    February 6, 2017

    Special Briefing: The Middle East in the Year Ahead
  • Analysis
  • Special Briefing: The Middle East in the Year Ahead

    Another turbulent year lies ahead for the Middle East. Civil wars rage in Syria, Libya, and Yemen; the battle against ISIS proceeds in Iraq; Iran pushes its advantage against regional rivals; governments continue to struggle with economic, political, and security challenges; and the region awaits a new administration in Washington.

    January 5, 2017

    Monday Briefing: Egypt Faces New Wave of Terrorist Attacks
  • Analysis
  • Monday Briefing: Egypt Faces New Wave of Terrorist Attacks

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Randa Slim, Charles Lister, Jean-François Seznec, Eran Etzion, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including yesterday’s terrorist attack on the Coptic Christian Cathedral in Cairo, the Sryian regime’s progress in retaking Aleppo, the continued threat presented by ISIS, the potential selection of Rex Tillerson as the next Secretary of State, Ash Carter’s farewell trip to Israel, and new Congressional pressure for Pakistan to crack down on the Haqqani Network.

    December 12, 2016

    Monday Briefing: OPEC Deal a Win for Iran
  • Analysis
  • Monday Briefing: OPEC Deal a Win for Iran

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Herman Franssen, Charles Lister, W. Robert Pearson, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including OPEC’s agreement to reduce oil output, the continuing offensive in Aleppo, Erdogan’s increasing executive powers, and deteriorating relations between Pakistan and India.

    OPEC Deal a Win for Iran
    Herman Franssen, MEI Scholar